As one of the youngest members of the baby boom generation and a longtime editor and publisher, I understand well how attractive the Inland Northwest is to seniors. Its hometown feel and robust parks, shopping, and entertainment fit nicely with the largest and best health care system between Minneapolis and Seattle.

I also understand that today's seniors grew up with newspapers in their hands and still crave the calmness of ink on paper rather than dancing pixels blasted through social media on smart phones. That's partly why we decided to launch Inland Northwest Senior, a monthly newspaper created specifically with you in mind.

I desperately wanted to use my favorite economic phrase this year for this space, which is "cautiously optimistic." But the majority of the economists I asked to contribute to this supplement have convinced me of my potential naiveté. 

Uncertainty certainly has been the watchword this year, as shock-and-awe style actions at the federal level, coupled  with stubborn inflation and interest-rate levels and continued unrest elsewhere in the world, left businesses here only guessing about what is next. As a result, it has felt a bit like we are all on hold.